After several requests to photograph him, the monk reluctantly obliged, telling us we could each take one photo. Noticing one person shooting several photos with their phone he asked with a slight smile "something wrong with your phone?"
Winemaker Joe Hurliman has an exceptional challenge on his hands. He is not Jewish and rules of kosher winemaking is that only a Sabbath observant cellar crew may touch the grapes.
“The secret is to be ahead of the curve and on top of our game,” says Gerry Cordiano. “All of our vineyards are young. As they grow and mature, we will be better than Napa/Sonoma and Paso Robles. Our soil is harsher here. That makes for stronger more flavorful grapes.”
I remember co-owner Gray Hartley telling me years ago that a guy came in, ordered a glass of wine and then a bottle and his world turned upside-down. The man was Rex Picket, author of the book Sideways. I sat with Frank Ostini, Gray's partner, who told me he knew something was up when director Alexander Payne walked in.
Diane and Ken Wilson own the Wilson Artisan Wineries as well as the Grape Leaf Inn. There are eight wineries all totaled and I visited three of them, starting with Matrix Winery. Formerly Rabbit Ridge Winery, the Wilsons purchased the property in 2007.
She wanted to feature sparkling wines that represented a sense of terroir. She re-paid the loan as soon as she could so she could make the winery uniquely hers.
You can hardly visit the Willamette Valley without visiting some of its famed wineries and that's exactly what I did. Starting at Montinore Estate, one of the state's largest biodynamic/organic wine producers, we visited the stunning tasting room and then stepped into the vineyards for a visit with winemakers Ben Thomas and Stephen Webber.
When your guests are paying $275 a head, he's aware you'd better deliver. The kitchen employs 30 chefs, all of whom have undergone extensive training. He hopes his guests leave excited and with fond memories, something they can relate to and even laugh about. Before we left, he prepared a salad for me to photograph. Alas, before I could dig my fork in, the plate was whisked away.
Giorgio greeted us, umbrella in hand, a smile from ear to ear. “Welcome to Villa Matilde!” Rain wasn’t dampening anyone’s spirits on this soggy Saturday. We...
Saturday morning I'll land at Rome's Fiumicino airport, where I will meet up with a group of fellow bloggers as we eat and drink our way through Orvieto, Montefalco and Torgiano before finally arriving in Perugia in the heart of Umbria.
